the miko chronicles
by west-side-punk
Summary: The new year dawned silvery and bitterly cold, as it always did, throwing beams of white gold against the walls and into the windows of any human structure. What few birds remained sang and quarrelled over seeds, scattering when the dark
1. Chapter 1

The new year dawned silvery and bitterly cold, as it always did, throwing beams of white gold against the walls and into the windows of any human structure. What few birds remained sang and quarrelled over seeds, scattering when the dark shape of a kestrel passed overhead; rust-furred squirrels chattered and darted across the branches like creatures animated by pure, unbridled energy. Deer stripped bark from the slumbering trees and scratched through the snow on the chance that something green still remained, while foxes scavenged for eggs and carrion and an eagle scrutinised the snow-covered ground for errant rabbits.

Winter was always a hard time for the forest, but something had changed this year and the animals were slowly wandering back to favourite spots, especially the hungry deer, who discovered whole new areas of bark to feed on. A congress of ravens had replaced the wolves, flying to the castle and settling in the protected courtyard to scavenge for scraps. The pitiful attempts by the humans to ward them off was met by raucous croaks of amusement; eventually Chie was sent up to fetch kagome, since the ravens had appeared so suddenly and were acting a little too intelligent for normal ravens.

Thusly chie ran rather more jubilantly than a servant boy should through the halls and took stairs two at a time, rather merry despite the serious message. As a result of his cheer, he rapped on the door to the royal suite perhaps a mite loudly, not remembering that servants rose much earlier than the people they worked for. It took a while for the door to be answered, and when it was, a slender young woman with blue eyes stuck her head out, her face haloed by stray hairs that had pulled from the long braid down her back; she was blinking owlishly.

⌠Good morning!■ chie greeted with a smile. kagome winced at the volume.

⌠Could you maybe be a bit quieter, sweetheart? I just woke up.■ Her voice had the characteristic dazed tone of a sleeper abruptly roused. chie bit his lip.

⌠Sorry,■ he whispered with a sheepish smile. ⌠There are lots of ravens in the courtyard, and they▓re bothering people.■

kagome suddenly looked more awake, a brow lifting. ⌠I▓ll be right down. Tell everyone not to hurt them, all right?■

The boy nodded and ran off, while kagome retreated back inside the room and began to dress. The opulent pile of covers shifted and eventually a voice called sleepily from the bed.

⌠kagome?■

kagome had gotten to the point of having brushed her hair and pulled on her kimono and padded back over to the bed in said state. Determining the exact location of her lover was difficult as he was hidden in the goose down and velvet mound. sesshomaru inhaled in a sharp hiss at the sudden cold on his bare skin when kagome lifted the bedclothes, yanking the covers back around herself; however, he was now fully awake. kagome smiled apologetically as sesshomaru▓s gold eyes glared at her.

⌠I wanted to give you a kiss,■ she explained softly.

sesshomaru grinned crookedly and yanked her down, knocking all sense of reality from his lover for a few moments, burying his hand to the wrist in the loose black hair and sliding the other down the naked back. kagome gave a half-hearted little whine of dissent in her throat, but it may have been a moan anyway.

It had taken a decidedly short amount of time for kagome to move past her initial hesitance and become something akin to an Incubus of lore.sesshomaru couldn▓t honestly say he was disappointed, though he▓d had to contend with a frustrated lover when it became apparent that kagome knew precious little about the recreational activities one could do in bed. The girl was not content with having to be taught, but once taught her tension drained and sesshomaru was only too happy to be surprised by stolen kisses at the most random of times, as well as kagome▓s penchant for going further than that≈sesshomaru still flushed whenever he remembered kagome asking jaken for a list of the rooms in the castle, for the list now in a desk drawer and kagome had put an X by the rooms she and I had defiled.

Now he pulled kagome down, breaking the kiss to start moving downward with his caresses, lips and hands revelling in the bared feast of flesh. When kagome came back to her senses sesshomaru was starting on his ▒favourite dessert▓≈kagome desperately pushed him away, giggling.

⌠Not now, .■

⌠Yes now,■ sesshomaru insisted imperially. ⌠You woke me up, I should be compensated.■

⌠Later, my lord, I have to see to something downstairs.■ At the master▓s pout, kagome shoved at him, hard. ⌠I love you too, you great spoiled thing. Now get off.■

sesshomaru grinned, pinning the girl with his hands over her head, the black hair fanned out on the white sheets. ⌠No.■ The lord licked his lips, enjoying the blush that brought to kagome▓s cheeks.

kagome sincerely hoped the ravens weren▓t causing too much damage.

.oOo.

When kagome finally showed up downstairs, her lips were bruised and she smiled a little too widely, even as jaken glared at her.

⌠What took you so long? They▓ve started trying to come inside!■

kagome bit her lip guiltily, but couldn▓t wipe the smile off her face. Lucile chuckled knowingly, which made kagome▓s cheeks go pink again.

⌠Oh lighten up; after all, we did wake her early.■

⌠So, the ravens,■ kagome said a bit loudly, blushing to high heaven and trying to get off the subject. she crossed the kitchen to peek outside, and sneezed several times. ⌠Right,■ she said with determination, before walking boldly into the courtyard. Promptly, several pebbles were flung at her by the birds; in response, kagome scolded them in a musical tongue. This seemed to stun the ravens, who quieted and muttered among themselves. kagome pursed her lips, giving them an arch look as she crossed her arms.

⌠What did you say to them?■ Lucile had watched the exchange curiously, but was the only one brave enough to speak up. Without taking her eyes from the ravens, kagome answered.

⌠Something that might make a sailor blush. They▓re shape shifter.■

⌠What, all of them?■ jaken looked flabbergasted. Looking thoughtful,kagome nodded in reply, then said something else to the birds, sounding more polite. Coming a little closer, one of the birds replied in a croaking voice. kagome began a long answer that sounded like an explanation of some kind, gesturing with her hands. When she finished, the raven said something else and they flew off. Turning back, kagome walked back into the kitchen.

⌠They were the demons in the forest, enslaved by the enchantress▓ curse,■ she explained to the wondering eyes that stared at her. ⌠When it broke they were freed; they thought this was her castle. I set them right, though.■

⌠So they aren▓t coming back?■ Chie asked. kagome shook her head.

⌠No, they▓re going home now.■ she was still a bit tired, but upon seeing one of the stable hands, kagome addressed him. ⌠How is Camille?■

The man, who was named Charlot, smiled brightly. ⌠She▓s doing very well miko, I think it might be twins■

⌠Lovely!■ kagome exclaimed, wondering what they▓d look like. ⌠Well let me know if anything out of the ordinary happens.■

As she left,she heard the man getting scolded for calling her ▒miko▓ and sighed. Most of the castle still wasn▓t sure what to address her as≈most of them hadn▓t even met her yet. she resolved to talk with sesshomaru about this later, both the title and the introductions. As she went up the main stairs, she heard warm-up scales coming softly from the music room and turned right instead of left, opening the door slightly.

mousie made sure to save deeper notes for later in the day, so for now he played only the highest notes, very softly, glad kagome had convinced sesshomaru to move to the east wing▓s much more suitable royal suite, leaving the composer with the bedroom the lord had previously occupied. It put him a door away from the music room, which had done wonders for his mood. Hearing kagome≈or perhaps sensing, it was hard to tell≈mousie stopped, his fingers poised above the keys.

⌠Good morning, maestro,■ kagome said to the expectant silence. ⌠How is your fugue coming?■

⌠You came all the way in here just to say good morning?■ mousie▓s tone was disbelieving as he turned to level his gaze at the miko.

⌠Is that so strange?■ kagome asked in the same tone, settling into the game she and the maestro played.

⌠Getting up hours early just to see me? kagome, really, one could make such scandalous assumptions about your intentions.■ He smirked. ⌠kiss me?■

kagome made a face, but was amused rather than offended, hearing the teasing note in mousie▓s voice.

⌠You▓re a lech, you know that?■

⌠It is an artist▓s right, I should think,■ mousie countered, not missing a beat. ⌠We are sensual creatures, after all.■

kagome rolled her eyes and turned to leave, muttering something about conceited Italians.

⌠I heard that, bambino,■ mousie called mildly after the girl, then smiled and began to play again. Life was much more fun now that he had someone to actually converse with, he reflected, and he was certainly grateful that he▓d somehow kept the green power. As he played, shimmering tendrils arched over his hands and twined among the pipes like eager serpents. mousie grinned. Oh yes, this power would be very pleasing indeed.

.oOo.

kagome had scarcely walked into the door to the east wing when sesshomaru pressed her against the door with a kiss; kagome promptly melted with a sigh. This was surely paradise. Not the castle▓s riches, not the beautiful clothes nor the library full of Locke, Voltaire and Marlowe≈no, this kiss, this man, was paradise itself given physical form. When the silken kiss ended, kagome fluttered her eyes back open to see sesshomaru looking apologetic as he cupped kagome▓s face in his hands.

⌠I▓m sorry for being so≈■

kagome interrupted him by putting a finger on his lips. ⌠I know, you▓re a beast if someone gets you up early.■ she kissed sesshomaru chastely before leaning on him, wrapping arms around his chest and letting out an utterly contented sigh. ⌠Sometimes I wonder if I▓m dreaming all of this.■

sesshomaru squeezed her, looking into her eyes. ⌠Feels real to me, miko.■ When kagome smiled, sesshomaru kissed her forehead. ⌠It▓s too early to be dressed, won▓t you come back to bed with me?■

kagome looked up at him for a few moments, making him wait a few tantalising seconds. Finally, she giggled and nuzzled the master▓s neck, kissing the warm skin. ⌠Spoil me?■ she asked in a whisper.

⌠As my miko wishes.■ So stated, sesshomaru carried kagome across the room to deposit her gently on the sheets.

Nothing gave sesshomaru more pleasure than seeing kagome like this, blissful beyond sound, lashes fluttering on her cheeks from something as simple as whispers given while sesshomaru bared kagome▓s skin again. Soon the Persian rug was the only one wearing the brocade, lace and silk.

Someone tapped on the door.

sesshomaru let out something like a roar of frustration.

⌠What is it?■ His tone was accusatory as he carefully climbed off the bed and pulled on his shirt to answer. When he opened the door, louie greeted him with an unusually serious expression.

⌠Your mother is here, my lord.■ 


	2. Chapter 2

Mummy Fearest 

Approximately five seconds went by before the information fully registered in sesshomaru▓s mind. Then came the panic. He glanced behind himself at kagome, then at jaken, then behind Loui into the hall, expecting his mother to be coming up the stair. He heard her shrill voice in the foyer downstairs and winced.

⌠, what are we going to do?■ he hissed at his servant. ⌠I can▓t┘I mean she can▓t┘■

⌠I have an idea.■jaken herded sesshomaru back inside and quickly assembled an outfit of blue and gold for sesshomaru, knowing that la reinne had always favoured those colours for her son. ⌠Get dressed and go see her.kagome, hide your clothes and then hide yourself in the blankets.■

kagome nodded mutely, gathering the discarded clothes and stashing them in the trunk at the end of the bed before wrapping herself in the layers of warmth the blankets and duvets provided. loui sent sesshomaru out into the corridor, staying with kagome.

kagome came down the stairs to the east wing just in time to be faced with his mother. Though he was taller than she, he still felt inexplicably small under those icy blue eyes.

⌠Well I▓m glad you inherited your father▓s looks, at least.■

⌠mother,■ sesshomaru managed, kissing her offered hand. ⌠It▓s a┘surprise to see you.■

⌠Where is she?■ the queen demanded with a suddenness that made sesshomaru worry. What had she already been told? Rolling her eyes at his look of confusion, she put her hands on her hips. ⌠This woman I keep hearing about from your Household. Where is she?■ Craning her neck, she looked behind sesshomaru toward the door to the royal suite. A perfectly-pencilled brow raised and red-painted lips pursed suspiciously. ⌠You▓re sleeping with her and you aren▓t married?■

sesshomaru thought this would be a bad time to mention the mistresses of his father and great-grandfather. ⌠It▓s complicated,mother≈■

⌠The royal suite is the warmest place in the castle, votre majestИ.■ Loui closed the door softly behind him and made his way down the stairs, bowing to the queen. ⌠Mademoiselle caught a chill a few days ago and mylord sesshomaru insisted on keeping her in his own rooms while he slept elsewhere.■

Wondering where on earth he would be without Loui, sesshomaru managed a sheepish smile, looking down at his hands. His relief was shattered, however, when his mother rushed past him.

⌠Who▓s her family?■ she demanded primly, reaching for the crystal doorknob. ⌠I haven▓t heard of any ladies of quality travelling here≈■

⌠mother≈■ sesshomaru tried to stop her, but she▓d already got the door open; he started up the stairs after her, but Loui caught him.

⌠You cannot go rushing in there right now, my lord,■ he breathed. ⌠It is improper enough that I was inside alone.■

⌠Why?■ sesshomaru hissed, pulling his arm from the sevant▓s grip. He waited for the shriek of horror from his mother, but none came. When he looked at Loui with eyes slightly narrowed in perplexity, the servant motioned for him to follow and led him out of the queen▓s formidable earshot.

⌠You mistook kagome for a boy when she was first here, remember?■

⌠Yes, but what about a permanent solution?■ sesshomaru whispered back, furtively glancing at the bedroom door every few seconds.

⌠That is why I am going to see Madame La Grande-Bouche.■ He stepped back, motioning to the door. ⌠Now you may attend to your ▒mademoiselle▓, . Stay sesshomaru at the doorway.■

Swallowing hard, sesshomaru nodded and nearly ran back to the bedroom, hoping kagome was a good actor. As he got closer, he heard his mother▓s voice, softer but no less demanding; it took everything in sesshomaru to not charge in and pull kagome into his arms. A vision of kagome crying greeted him when he tried to close his eyes and take a breath. Shaking his head, he tried to clear the image, but it stubbornly refused to dissipate and sesshomaru pushed open the door.

⌠kagome!■

blue eyes looked up at him, bright from fever; the queen sat in the chair next to the bedside, with kagome wrapped in the blankets, looking so small and helpless.

⌠Not quite a noble, sesshomaru,■ his mother chirped when she saw him at the door, ⌠But the daughter of a general is good enough. And one who fought against the English┘■ Her lips twisted into a tiny smile, brows arching in approval.

kagome smiled at him, and sesshomaru felt a swell of pride; was there anyone kagome couldn▓t sweet-talk? Even Loui had trouble soothing the impossible personality of the queen.

⌠I▓m so glad you like her,■ sesshomaru said haltingly, knowing enough to keep the focus on his mother, as much as he felt traitorous to kagome for doing so.

⌠Yes, well,■ his mother said with a less kindly smile as she got up. ⌠I wouldn▓t let you marry her if I didn▓t. Come!■ She swept from the room, her wide skirts rustling. sesshomaru gave an apologetic look to kagome before following. As he followed his mother, sesshomaru wondered if he▓d ever been this unbearable≈it was an uncomfortable thought, and he vowed to be less self-centred in the future. As his mother shrieked for sworth, sesshomaru mentally added that he▓d definitely be nicer when it came to servants.

.oOo.

Thankfully she was only there for the day, having stopped by on her way to her sister▓s. As he came back into the castle after seeing her out, sesshomaru sighed and collapsed against the door, untying his cravat before standing again and rubbing his temples≈that pitch of her voice┘he wondered why his father didn▓t have constant headaches.

Troubling too was the insistence that sesshomaru and kagome marry at Versailles, in front of the world. How on earth were they going to pull the wool over everyone▓s eyes? There would be constant attendants, none of them but the head servants from his own castle privy to the secret. kagome and he would be dressed in separate rooms, and┘.

⌠kagome, darling≈what▓s wrong with your eyes?■ sesshomaru was worried as kagome met him at the door to their bedroom. The girl▓s eyes were over bright, and sesshomaru pressed the inside of his wrist to kagome▓s forehead to check for a real fever. kagome took his hand away gently.

⌠It▓s all right, sesshomaru. Loui only put some belladonna in my eyes to help me look sick; I▓m not really ill.■ she gave sesshomaru a chaste kiss and wrapped her arms around him. ⌠Your mother▓s certainly a handful. Now I see where you got it from.■

⌠Got it fr┘oh,■ sesshomaru said miserably, leaning against the door and looking at the floor wretchedly. kagome nuzzled him, perhaps in apology.

⌠But you aren▓t like her now, since you▓ve been out from under her thumb for so long.■ she tried to be encouraging, but sesshomaru sighed.

⌠No, you▓re right. I was like her, I see that now.■

⌠Well, good,■kagome said cheerfully, which confused sesshomaru and made him look up from the spot on the floor and into the blue eyes smiling at him. kagome explained, ⌠That means it will be easier to not do it, you see?■

sesshomaru did see, and cheered up a bit because of it, giving kagome a kiss. Until today, neither found it strange to spend the day doing nothing but making love or simply laying in each others▓ arms, breaking every few hours for a meal then sleeping when the sunset brought the icy cold of winter (As kagome remarked once: ▒How lovely to do nothing and then rest afterward▓). Days were often spent in such a schedule, though not always as both young lover's were restless≈kagome had her urge to learn and sesshomaru had his love of riding.

In this way, most of the servants had a welcome break to recover their familiarity with being human and to spend time with their own loved ones. It was as good as throwing them a party≈perhaps better, since parties always meant more work.

All of the kitchen was grateful that kagome had given sesshomaru a taste for simple dishes, and often the two lovers didn▓t really have the patience for more than the main course. Gone were the days of complicated spices and lavish things like stuffing birds inside one another or replacing all the feathers once a fowl was roasted. Now it took more raw skill, and chef Cocotte loved the challenge of roasting the meat just so, his daughter taking care of the baked and sweet dishes. Shyly, kagome had requested pastries filled with apples and raisins and Mlle. Cocotte was only too happy to oblige; when she asked if there was anything else she wanted, she asked for a ▒pasty▓. When she didn▓t know what it was, she explained it and showed her how they were made.

sesshomaru grew very fond of the hand-held main dish, and often took them out while he was riding so that he wouldn▓t have to return so often. In turn, this gave kagome more time alone in the afternoon and she ended up wandering aimlessly, bored with the library and done with her daily dancing lessons.

Since his imprisonment by Forte, kagome was more carefully watched when she wandered alone; she knew this and, during her dance lesson with Loui, had mentioned that she was interested in music lessons. Reluctantly, Loui had agreed on the condition that the door was left open and Fife was in the room as well. This wasn▓t an impossible request, and so it was agreed upon by all involved.

kagome dressed very simply that Friday, her kimono devoid of lace cuff, and sought out Mme. La Grand-Bouche to put her hair in the fancy, tight braid she did so well. So done, she went back upstairs and tapped upon the door to the music room after the midday meal. kagome was taken aback when she saw a faint glow of the same green from before from under the door; the music stopped and it vanished in a flicker.

⌠Come in,■ Forte called, his voice still as velvety as ever. kagome came in cautiously, preparing to feel the familiar tingle in his sinuses from enchantment. As he▓d thought, his eyes hadn▓t deceived her≈there was enchantment here. How, though? kagome was sure Forte wasn▓t a changeling┘.

⌠Is something troubling you, kagome?■

kagome looked up at the composer, still trying to understand what it was this all meant. ⌠You still have the green power,■ she said softly, unsure of how to feel about it.

Looking like a cat caught clawing the furniture, Forte couldn▓t help but look down at one of his hands in fascination and grin after a moment. ⌠Yes, I do.■

Fife was in the back of the room, silent as he lovingly tended to the ten-years-neglected woodwinds with silver polish. He looked up at the discovery, however, now on full alert.

kagome felt her cheeks warm when Forte looked back up, their eyes met; unspoken, unbidden, the memories came back and kagome was still confused as to why he had never felt as violated as everyone thought he should about those hours spent in the composer▓s dark thrall. After a pregnant pause, Fife cleared his throat pointedly and kagome snapped out of her daze, shaking her head to clear it, trying to will away the blush on her cheeks.

Walking to the piano, Forte sat and motioned kagome to sit beside him; at kagome▓s hesitance, he glanced at the organ and back at the girl.

⌠I didn▓t learn on an organ, bambino. Sit.■

kagome sat on her right, a little nervous. With surprising gentleness, Forte positioned the girl▓s right hand, lifting the wrist and curving the fingers just so.

⌠This is C,■ he hit the key below kagome▓s thumb. kagome hit it, smiled, and looked back at her teacher.

⌠So this is D then?■ she looked down again and hit the next ivory key. ⌠E, F, G≈G?■ she frowned at his little finger, which had faltered at the weight of the key. Forte chuckled.

⌠Your fingers aren▓t used to it yet≈the little one will get stronger with practise.■

G-G-G-G-G-G-G-G≈

⌠Not all at once, kagome!■ Forte snatched the girl▓s hand up from the keys. kagome blushed.

⌠Sorry,■ she said sheepishly. Forte let the hand down again with his little half-smile.

⌠Impatient, are we?■

⌠I▓ve┘never touched a piano before. I mean, my friend Wolfy tried to give me lessons once, but≈■ kagome noticed Forte▓s look, and blinked in puzzlement. ⌠Have I said something wrong?■ he wondered.

⌠I know Wolfy,■ Forte said faintly, for there was only one person in the music world who went by ▒Wolfy▓. And him, teaching anyone? Forte almost laughed. He repositioned kagome▓s hand, though he had to make only a few adjustments. ⌠I suppose he gave up after one lesson?■

⌠Three minutes.■

⌠I thought so.■

Going back to the lesson, Forte ran through all the variations on a five-note scale and by the end of an hour kagome was able to play a chord. The girl was altogether delighted with her progress, bursting into spontaneous giggles when she did something correctly. It was adorable, really, and Forte found that praise came easily.

At first, the composer had been hesitant to teach≈he was no teacher, not having the required tolerance for mistakes. However, kagome had a talent for music; Forte didn▓t even have to tell her to start out concentrating on accuracy and then speed.

kagome had to suppress shivers when Forte commended her on anything or lifted her wrists when they began to drop. The fact that she was finally learning to play music was as heady as something more carnal, and kagome was also pleased that music seemed easier than dancing. Perhaps she was just better with her hands.

Though the lesson was supposed to be an hour, both lost all track of time and it was fifteen minutes past the hour when Fife quietly interrupted. kagome bid them both a good afternoon and slipped away, hastily retreating back into the royal bedroom, taking off her jacket and shoes then hiding under the blankets of the bed, troubled. she loved sesshomaru, that she knew for sure, but what did her feelings toward Forte mean, then?

Biting her lip, kagome turned to facts, as was her habit when confused. What was love, then? Love is┘love is caring about someone else▓s happiness? Feeling inexplicably warm and tingly when you▓re near him? Noticing what he likes? Is love anything to do with sex, or marriage? Why can▓t it be easy, like numbers?! she sighed, speaking quietly to herself. ⌠I know Didier could have explained it to me┘■

The statement got her thinking, wondering if she▓d ever see her Parisian friends again. sHe didn▓t realise how very much she▓d missed them until life had started here and gotten so confusing. Magic, enchantment, fae, curses┘kagome could handle all those things; but all these new emotions, and sex, and relationships that were more than friends┘that was much more than kagome could understand, and there really was no book to look this up in. sHe held her head with her hands and tried to clear her mind, but nothing helped and soon she snatched a down-filled pillow, hugged it, and began to cry.

p.s. i would really like it if someone put reviews no flames pleas


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